Climate change is one of the most serious challenges confronted by human-beings. However, the national emissions reduction commitments within the international negotiations are far from sufficient, if we are to avoid serious climate change. The longer that negotiations continue, the further the gap between commitments and results widens. If this trend continues, there is more than a 65% likelihood that average temperatures will have risen by 4°C in 2050. Timely action is essential to deal with the challenge of climate change. We should have ‘two strings to our bow’. On one hand, we should continue encouraging developed countries to make more ambitious emissions reduction and climate finance commitments. On the other hand, we should facilitate countries to realize their commitments domestically and advocate and promote more ambitious national mitigation action plans.

The Chinese government has expressed confidence that it will accomplish its committed target which aims to reduce China’s carbon intensity by 40 - 45% in 2020 compared with year 2005. Between 2006 and 2010, the period of the 11th Five-Year Plan, China has shown a declining trend in both energy intensity and carbon intensity, which was predicted to rise steadily between 2001 and 2015. In this period, the country’s energy intensity has declined by 19.1%, and carbon intensity has been reduced by approximately by 20%, which is equivalent to a reduction of 1.5 billion tons of CO2 emissions. In order to achieve these goals, the Chinese government has adopted different simultaneous approaches: the top-down mandate approach as well as market-incentive mechanisms. Both provide experience and lessons to learn from which are worth promoting world-wide.

However, curbing climate change is not only a job for government's, but also for bottom-up power from civil society, involving action by individuals and industries within society. Therefore, nearly 30 non-government organizations have initiated the C + action, hoping to arouse an active role for civil society as ‘climate citizens’. Climate citizens take actions in different fields to deal with climate change, committing to make efforts beyond those in national pledges. Accordingly, this action aims to assist the government achieve a more ambitious goal.

Implications of C+

Beyond Government Commitment

C stand for the commitments of various kinds made by government to deal with climate change, for example: carbon emission targets, energy saving targets, clean energy targets, investment targets, etc. C+ advocates for people from various locations and industries to adopt a more ambitious emissions reduction target than the legally-binding government target. This suggests that the goal of C+ is not only to ensure the accomplishment of government’s 17% carbon intensity reduction target for 2015 and 40% to 45% target for 2020, but also to go beyond them. C+ supports the Chinese government’s pledge made in Copenhagen for a 40% to 45% carbon intensity reduction by 2020, and hopes to encourage and provide support for even stronger action.

Beyond Climate Change

C also stands for climate change. Normally, dealing with climate change is interpreted as an issue of mitigation, adaptation, capacity building, agriculture, etc. In C+, dealing with climate change is interpreted as a matter which requires changing the economic development model, moving to a low-carbon, green, and sustainable development pathway. In the business field, C+ promotes the idea that companies should not only focus on how to improve energy efficiency, but extend their scope to include production efficiency and competitiveness, innovative ideas and technologies, more extensive social responsibility, quality and branding, etc. In education institutions, C+ aims to develop students’ rational analysis and civic spirit, in order to be future leaders in sustainable development and contribute to emissions reduction in their different fields. For the public and communities, C+ promotes low-carbon lifestyles, stimulates domestic demand for a low-carbon economy, and facilitates China’s economic transformation.

Beyond China

C also stands for China. On the international stage, though the Chinese government, companies and organizations, play a much more important role in climate change than they have in the past, they are still unable to act as positive leaders. C+ promotes the Chinese style of environmentalism, which adopts a spirit of personal sincerity. Chinese NGOs practice what we advocate, encouraging the public around the globe to take the same actions, in order to facilitate governments with stronger determination and commitment to work jointly to curb climate change without boundaries.

Action framework

C+ Initiative includes series of different actions coping with climate change by different groups, an independent C+MRV System and C+ related policy research and advocacy.

C+Action

C+ encourages progressive climate actions from all sectors and individuals. Under C+ framework, companies, schools, urban communities and households, villages as well as individuals could join our initiative. NGOs with various expertise will provide technical support to these actions, which needto report to C+, and to be verified by C+.

C+ Audit and Verification System

C+ will establish an independent auditing and verification system, including research, supervision, and implementation by professional institutions. Meanwhile, we will develop Chinese NGOs’ capacity to conduct auditing and verification. This independent system aims to ensure all the C+ activities can obtain precise and quantifiable outcomes.

Policy Research and Promotion

To assist C+ activities, an ad-hoc working group will research policies to facilitate policy making and implementation initiated by different groups within the C+ platform. In general, there will be 10 aspects to this:

1. Assess the potential and feasibility of a more ambitious energy-saving and carbon reduction target
2. Facilitate the incentive policies at both central and local government levels, in order to encourage enterprises to reduce carbon emissions more efficiently
3. In the current context, research and promote a model of corporate social responsibility, with low-carbon and green economy development at its core.
4. Launch resource consumption and carbon standards for products that reflect the whole product life-cycle. Improve the competitiveness of enterprises as a result.
5. Develop and support MRV capacity building activities within the C+ platform, design the rules and requirements of authentication and use of the C+ label.
6. Assist relevant government departments to design a policy for engaging civil society in the provision of social services and the development of a low-carbon economy.
7. Demonstrate and promote the low-carbon village projects.
8. Chinese NGOs should actively and effectively participate and influence the climate change negotiation process
9. Advocate low-carbon lifestyles, consumption ideas and the concept of eco-friendliness

Timeline

• September 19th, 2011: C+ press release, call for applications, start accepting applications from individuals and organizations
• September – November 2011: Search for best-practice examples in each of the C+ categories, and assist them to establish monitoring and verification of their actions.
• November 2011: Forum and exhibition on ‘How civil societies deal with climate change
• December 2011: Organize a C+ side event at the Durban Climate Change Conference. Exhibit C+ case-studies and propose the C+ idea to NGOs from other countries
• 2012-2015: Accept the applications from organizations, establish the MRV system and standards, conduct auditing at regular intervals. Produce portfolios of cases on a yearly base. Verify all the outcomes of C+ activities in 2015 and compose the project report.